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XL5
''Fireball XL5'' is a 1960s British children's science-fiction puppet television series about the missions of ''Fireball XL5'', a vessel of the World Space Patrol that polices the cosmos in the year 2062. Commanded by Colonel Steve Zodiac, ''XL5'' defends Earth from interstellar threats while encountering a wide variety of alien civilisations. Inspired by the Space Race, ''Fireball XL5'' was created by the husband-and-wife team of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company AP Films (APF) for ITC Entertainment. It was APF's final black-and-white series and the third to be made in what the Andersons dubbed "Supermarionation": a style of production in which the characters were played by electronic marionettes whose mouth movements were synchronised with the voice actors' pre-recorded dialogue. Zodiac was voiced by Paul Maxwell while two of his companions – ''XL5'' co-pilot Robert the Robot and "space doctor" Venus – were voiced by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
TV Century 21
''TV Century 21'', later renamed ''TV21'', ''TV21 and Tornado'', ''TV21 and Joe 90'', and ''TV21'' again, was a weekly British children's comic published by City Magazines during the latter half of the 1960s. Originally produced in partnership with Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's Century 21 Productions, it promoted the company's many science-fiction television series. The comic was published in the style of a newspaper of the future, with the front page usually dedicated to fictional news stories set in the worlds of ''Fireball XL5'', ''Stingray'', '' Thunderbirds'', ''Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons'' and other stories. The front covers were also in colour, with photographs from one or more of the Anderson series or occasionally of the stars of the back-page feature. The brainchild of writer-editor Alan Fennell (who also wrote episodes of the various Anderson TV shows) and presenter Keith Shackleton, ''TV Century 21'' was produced by the staff at the Andersons' Century 21 Pub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gerry Anderson
Gerald Alexander Anderson (; 14 April 1929 – 26 December 2012) was an English television and film producer, director, writer and occasional voice artist, who is known for his futuristic television programmes, especially his 1960s productions filmed with "Supermarionation" (marionette puppets containing electric moving parts). Anderson's first television production was the 1957 Roberta Leigh children's series '' The Adventures of Twizzle'' (1957–58). '' Torchy the Battery Boy'' (1960), and '' Four Feather Falls'' (1960) followed. ''Supercar'' (1961–62) and '' Fireball XL5'' (1962–63) came next, both series breaking into the U.S. television market in the early 1960s. In the mid-1960s Anderson produced his most successful series, '' Thunderbirds''. Other television productions of the period included ''Stingray'', ''Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons'' and '' Joe 90''. Anderson also wrote and produced several feature films, including ''Doppelgänger'' (aka ''Journey to th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sylvia Anderson
Sylvia Beatrice Anderson (; 25 March 1927 – 15 March 2016) was an English television and film producer, writer, voice actress and costume designer, best known for her collaborations with Gerry Anderson, her husband between 1960 and 1981. In addition to serving as co-creator and co-writer on their TV series during the 1960s and early 1970s, Anderson's primary contribution was character development and costume design. She regularly directed the fortnightly voice recording sessions, and provided the voices of many female and child characters. She also helped develop the shows and characters, in particular creating the iconic characters of Lady Penelope and Parker in '' Thunderbirds''. Early life Anderson was born in Camberwell, London, England on 25 March 1927. Her father, Sidney Thomas, was a champion boxer, and her mother, Beatrice (), a dressmaker. After graduating from the London School of Economics with a degree in sociology and political science, she became a social w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
TV Comic
''TV Comic'' was a British weekly comic book published from 9 November 1951 until 29 June 1984. Featuring stories based on television series running at the time of publication, it was the first British comic to be based around TV programmes"British Comics Reference , British TV-related Comic Strips," DownTheTubes.net. Retrieved 25 Feb. 2021. and spawned a host of imitators. Publication history Originally started by '''', ''TV Comic'' was later sold to Beaverbrook Newspapers, and then to[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Barry Gray
Barry Gray (born John Livesey Eccles; 18 July 1908 – 26 April 1984) was a British musician and composer best known for his collaborations with television and film producer Gerry Anderson. Life and career Born into a musical family in Blackburn, Lancashire, Gray was encouraged to pursue a musical career from an early age. Starting at the age of five – with piano lessons – he studied diligently and became a student at the Manchester Royal College of Music and at Blackburn Cathedral. He studied composition under the Hungarian born émigré composer Matyas Seiber. Gray's first professional job was for B. Feldman & Co. in London, where he gained experience in scoring for theatre and variety orchestras. From there, he joined Radio Normandy as a composer-arranger. After serving for six years with the Royal Air Force during World War II he returned to the music industry to work with such names as Vera Lynn and Hoagy Carmichael. In 1956 Gray joined Gerry Anderson's AP Films a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
AP Films
AP Films or APF (renamed Century 21 Productions in 1966) was a British independent film production company of the 1950s until the early 1970s. The company became internationally known for its imaginative children's action-adventure marionette television series – most significantly '' Thunderbirds'' – produced for British ITV network companies Associated-Rediffusion, Granada, ABC and ATV. At its height, the company employed more than 200 staff. Origins Established in 1957 by editor-director Gerry Anderson and cinematographer Arthur Provis, following the liquidation of their employer Polytechnic Films, AP Films was set up, named after the initials of Anderson and Provis. They took with them producer Reg Hill, cinematographer John Read and secretary, then known as Sylvia Thamm. Thamm would later become Anderson's second wife. The company was created with the intention of it becoming a conventional film production house. With no commissions and funds runnin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Supermarionation
Supermarionation (a portmanteau of the words "super", " marionette" and "animation")La Rivière 2009, p. 67. is a style of television and film production employed by British company AP Films (later Century 21 Productions) in its puppet TV series and feature films of the 1960s. These productions were created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed at APF's studios on the Slough Trading Estate. The characters were played by electronic marionettes with a moveable lower lip, which opened and closed in time with pre-recorded dialogue by means of a solenoid in the puppet's head or chest. The productions were mostly science fiction with the puppetry supervised by Christine Glanville, art direction by either Bob Bell or Keith Wilson, and music composed by Barry Gray. They also made extensive use of scale model special effects, directed by Derek Meddings. The term "Supermarionation" was first used during the production of '' Supercar'', whose final 13 episodes were the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dennis Spooner
Dennis Spooner (1 December 1932 – 20 September 1986) was an English television writer and script editor, known primarily for his programmes about fictional spies and his work in children's television in the 1960s. He had long-lasting professional working relationships with a number of other British screenwriters and producers, notably Brian Clemens, Terry Nation, Monty Berman and Richard Harris, with whom he developed several programmes. Though he was a contributor to BBC programmes, his work made him one of the most prolific writers of televised output from ITC Entertainment. Early life Dennis was born in Tottenham, Middlesex. Following a brief spell as a professional footballer with Leyton Orient, Dennis completed his National Service with the Royal Air Force where he met Tony Williamson, with whom he formed an amateur writing partnership. During the 1950s Dennis returned to office work, and met and married Pauline. Dennis did not desire a career in business and tried ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paul Maxwell
Paul Maxwell (born Maxim Popovich; 12 November 192119 December 1991) was a Canadian actor who worked mostly in British cinema and television, in which he was usually cast as American characters. In terms of audience, his most notable role was probably that of Steve Tanner, the ex- GI husband of Elsie Tanner in the soap opera ''Coronation Street'' in 1967. Also, notable science fiction work he performed in was voicing Captain Grey in ''Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons'', Colonel Steve Zodiac in '' Fireball XL5'', acted as Elijah Baley in the '' Out of the Unknown'' episode " The Naked Sun", Lt. Jim Lewis in the '' UFO'' episode " Sub-Smash", Jim Gordon in the Dirk Maggs audio drama ''Batman: The Lazarus Syndrome'' and Van Leuwen in '' Aliens''. Life and career During World War II, Maxwell served in the Royal Canadian Artillery. He studied at Yale University, and graduated with a Master of Fine Arts. Maxwell started as an actor in the U.S., appearing in series such as Dr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Don Spencer
Donald Richard Spencer (born 22 March 1937) is an Australian singer-songwriter, musician, and former children's television presenter. He had a long tenure as a host on ''Play School'' on both the Play School (Australian TV series), Australian version (1968–99) and the Play School (British TV series), United Kingdom version (1972–88), one of only two presenters to work on both versions. In March 1963, his first single, "Fireball" – the theme tune to a UK TV science fiction series ''Fireball XL5'' – reached No.32 on the UK Singles Chart. In 2002, Spencer established the Australian Children's Music Foundation. On Australia Day (26 January) 2007, he was awarded a Order of Australia, Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) with the citation "for service to children's music and television as a songwriter and performer, and through the establishment of the Australian Children's Music Foundation". Spencer married Julie Horsfall, they have two children: Dean, a musician; and Danie ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
MeTV Toons
MeTV Toons is an American broadcast television network owned and operated by Weigel Broadcasting in partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched on June 25, 2024, as a spin-off of MeTV, the network's programming mainly consists of classic animated content owned by Warner Bros. Discovery (including Warner Bros., Hanna-Barbera, and pre-1986 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer library via Turner Entertainment unit), as well as third-party series from NBCUniversal (Classic Media and the Lantz library), Sony Pictures Television, WildBrain (Canada), and Shout! Studios dating from the 1930s to the 2010s. History Trademark registrations for MeTV Toons were first filed in March 2023, with originally considered names for the network being "Toon TV" or "Toony TV" (a name likely inspired by the mascot of the MeTV original program '' Toon In with Me'', Toony the Tuna), as well as names of interstitials for the network such as 'Cartoon College' filed in December 2023. On May 1, 2024, '' Variety'' and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Derek Meddings
Derek Meddings (15 January 1931 – 10 September 1995) was a British film and television special effects designer. He was initially noted for his work on the "Supermarionation" TV puppet series produced by Gerry Anderson, and later for the 1970s and 1980s ''James Bond'' and ''Superman'' film series. Biography Early years Derek Meddings was born 15 January 1931 in St Pancras, London, England. Both Meddings' parents had worked in the British film industry: his father as a carpenter at Denham Studios and his mother as producer Alex Korda's secretary and actress Merle Oberon's stand-in. Meddings went to art school and, in the late 1940s, also found work at Denham Studios, lettering credit titles. It was there that he met effects designer Les Bowie and joined his matte painting department. During the 1950s, Meddings' work with Bowie included the creation of Transylvanian landscapes for Hammer Films and a "string and cardboard" invention that proved useful when Meddings was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
